Engineer-only contract presented to rail union

GALESBURG (GHMI) — A BNSF Railway union met Wednesday to discuss a new contract that would remove the conductor from the cab of a freight train to cut costs.

The Galesburg committee of Adjustment GO-001 and other SMART-Transportation Division union members gathered to discuss the union-drafted contract that would affect that largest skill group at BNSF. Conductors and ground service workers make up 60 percent of the work force.

General Chairman Randall Knutson introduced the proposal to a hostile crowd.

Knutson said engineers already can run a train by themselves, and soon BNSF will remove conductors from trains. He said this way the union can at least protect the workers if they agree to a contract now.

“Engineer-only operated contracts are coming, whether you vote for this one or wait for the next one,” Knutson said.

But in a room full of conductors, that message didn’t go over well.

The engineer operates the train, working with the mechanics of the locomotive, while the conductor makes sure the train knows where to go, while also managing the cargo and keeping an eye on the surroundings, especially near roads and urban areas. The conductor is also in charge of the safety of the train.

“How many people are in the cockpit of an airplane? Two. They say that because the technology fails,” one member said.

Under the new proposal, Knutson said a “master conductor” will overlook three to four trains at a time from a central location.

He said in cases of emergencies the workers drive out to sites in company vehicles where they are needed instead of being on stand-by on the train.

The members are also concerned they will be out of a job with the new plan, since a limited number of employees will be retained as a master conductor.

“Is this going to replace the entire pool? Probably not,” Knutson said. “But if you’re not working out there you’re going to be on the reserve board making 100 percent of your pay. Sooner or later it will transition, and I’m not surprised if it does within a year or two.”

The agreement said the workers get an “equivalent daily rate,” but members said the rates paid on the retention board are just about the poverty line for someone raising a family.

Knutson said those on retention will still receive health benefits.

Knutson said if the union does nothing, within five years they would be at the mercy of BNSF, which would be in the position of taking the conductor out of the cab anyway.